U.S. patent number 5,152,014 [Application Number 07/553,963] was granted by the patent office on 1992-10-06 for breathable body wear.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gilda Marx Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Gilda G. Marx, Robert S. Marx.
United States Patent |
5,152,014 |
Marx , et al. |
October 6, 1992 |
Breathable body wear
Abstract
Women's body wear is provided with a panel in the crotch area
which is formed of open or loosely knit material formed using
threads made up of a bundle of hydrophobic fibers having a large
surface area and longitudinally extending channels to provide
drier, more comfortable and "breathable" body wear. The body wear
garment may be provided with an open knit exterior panel generally
coextensive with the inner panel, and of the same color as the
remainder of the body wear garment.
Inventors: |
Marx; Gilda G. (Beverly Hills,
CA), Marx; Robert S. (Beverly Hills, CA) |
Assignee: |
Gilda Marx Industries, Inc.
(Los Angeles, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
24211494 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/553,963 |
Filed: |
July 17, 1990 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/406; 2/228;
2/400; 2/402; 2/403; 2/407; 2/409; 2/69; 2/78.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B
9/00 (20130101); A41B 9/004 (20130101); A41B
9/12 (20130101); A41B 2400/34 (20130101); A41B
2400/60 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41B
9/12 (20060101); A41B 9/00 (20060101); A41B
009/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;2/406,409,67,82,78B,69,403,402,400,227,228,239,407
;450/102,103,104,105 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Bike Nashbar catalog #51, Late Summer '87, p. 5, Cycling Shorts
& Liner. .
Coolmax Newsletter, spring 1989..
|
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Assistant Examiner: Hale; Gloria
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Poms, Smith, Lande & Rose
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A breathable body wear garment comprising:
a main body wear garment having a body and a crotch area, and an
inside surface and outside surface;
an inner panel in the main body wear garment in the crotch area
thereof, said inner panel being formed of an open knit material
formed of a high surface area hydrophobic fibers;
said main body wear garment principally formed of a stretchable
material
said main body wear garment further comprising a knit panel in an
area overlying said inner panel, and being of a more porous
material than said main body wear garment material.
2. A breathable body wear garment as defined in claim 1 wherein the
color of said main body wear garment material and said inserted
exterior panel are different from the color of said inner
panel.
3. A breathable garment for women comprising:
a main garment having a body area and a crotch area, and an inside
surface and outside surface;
an inner panel having an inner and outer surface inserted in the
crotch area of said main garment, and located on the inside surface
of said main garment, with said inner surface of said inner panel
facing, and immediately adjacent to said inside surface of said
main garment; said inner panel being formed of an open knit
material formed of high surface area hydrophobic fibers;
said inner panel being seamed along all edges thereof to prevent
unravelling;
said inner panel being formed of threads made up of bundles of said
hydrophobic fibers;
said high surface area hydrophobic fibers of said inner panel
having longitudinally extending channels on the outer surface of
said inner panel;
said main garment being formed of thin stretchable material, and
said inner panel being formed of material which is substantially
thicker and substantially more porous than said thin stretchable
material;
said main garment principally formed of a stretchable material, and
wherein said main body wear garment has, in an area overlying said
inner panel, porous material constituting means for permitting
significant air circulation through said main body wear garment to
promote evaporation of moisture transferred from said inner panel
to said main garment.
4. A breathable garment as defined in claim 3 wherein the color of
said main garment material and said inserted exterior panel are
different from the color of said inner panel.
5. A breathable garment for women as described in claim 3 in which
the crotch area of said body wear garment consists solely of said
inner panel layer and one thin outer layer of stretchable
material.
6. A breathable garment comprising:
a main garment having a body portion and a crotch area, and an
inside surface and outside surface;
an inner panel attached to said inside surface of said main garment
located in the crotch area thereof, said inner panel being formed
of an open knit material formed of high surface area hydrophobic
fibers;
said inner panel being seamed along all edges thereof to prevent
unraveling;
said inner panel being formed of threads made up of bundles of said
hydrophobic fibers;
said main garment being formed of a thin stretchable material, and
said inner panel being formed of material which is substantially
more porous than said thin stretchable material.
7. A breathable garment as described in claim 6 wherein said inner
panel is of the same color as the adjacent areas of the main
garment.
8. A breathable garment as described in claim 6 wherein said inner
panel is of a different color than the adjacent areas of the main
garment.
9. A breathable garment for women comprising:
A main garment having a body portion and a crotch area, and an
inside surface and outside surface;
An inner panel attached to said inside surface of said main garment
located in said crotch area thereof, said inner panel being formed
of an open knit material
said open knit material formed of threads made up of bundles of
said hydrophobic fibers;
said inner panel seamed along all edges thereof to prevent
unravelling of said inner panel;
said main garment having, in an area overlying said inner panel,
porous material including means for permitting significant air
circulation through said crotch area of said main garment to
promote evaporation of moisture transferred from said inner panel
to said main garment.
10. A breathable garment for women as described in claim 9 in which
said crotch area of said main garment consists solely of said inner
panel, and one thin layer of outer material which constitutes the
main garment.
11. A breathable garment for women as described in claim 9 in which
the crotch area of said garment consists solely of said inner panel
layer, and multiple thin layers of outer material which constitute
the main garment such that moisture can be effectively transferred
from the inner panel to the external surface of the garment where
said moisture can evaporate.
12. A breathable garment for women as described in claim 9 in which
said main garment is formed of thin material, and said inner panel
is formed of material which is substantially thicker and
substantially more porous than said thin material.
13. A breathable garment for women as described in claim 9 in which
said garment is a women's type panty.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to women's clothing, such as tights, bathing
suits, leotards and pantyhose.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The wearing of tight undergarments is one of the contributing
factors of vaginitis, including one of the most common types,
candidiasis, or yeast infection. One authority listed insulating
clothing as one of the six host factors associated with higher
incidence of vaginal yeast colonization. The others included
pregnancy, contraceptives, diabetes, antibiotics and iron
deficiencies. The itching and the discomfort associated with this
infection are universal problems, and physicians often recommend
that patients avoid tight clothing, or switch to panties and
pantyhose with a cotton crotch. The wearing of cotton undergarments
was previously advised due to cotton's ability to absorb
moisture.
However, the retention of moisture in the cotton material may, in
fact, aggravate the condition, or at least not ameliorate it
significantly.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide
women's body wear which provides drier conditions, and which
contributes to a reduction in the conditions which favor yeast
infections and vaginitis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, it has been determined
that the use of a liner for women's body wear of an open knit
material formed of a hydrophobic fiber having an irregular outer
surface configuration and accordingly a high surface area,
transports or "wicks" moisture away from the body, thereby helping
to keep intimate areas drier, cooler and more comfortable.
Collaterally, the moist conditions which favor the generation of
yeast infections are reduced.
An open knit fabric formed of the Dupont fiber identified as
"COOLMAX.TM." has been found to have the desirable qualities for a
liner for ladies' body wear, as outlined above.
In some cases it is useful to provide an inner open knit panel of
high surface area hydrophobic fiber material and a mating outer
knit panel of cotton or some similar absorbent material, both in
the crotch area of the women's body wear. The outer panel may be
dyed to be the same color as the remainder of the garment, while
the inner panel may be natural, or not dyed so that it is maximally
"wicking" in its action, and transports moisture away from the
body.
The loosely knit inner panel is seamed along all of its edges to
avoid unravelling. In some cases it is seamed to the women's body
wear on all of its edges, and in other cases, for example where a
panel is sewn into a bathing suit along only three sides, the
fourth, free side of the panel has its edge seamed to avoid
unravelling.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed
description and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows a breathable body wear garment illustrating the
principles of the invention, and being worn by a model;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a fiber having a large surface area
compared to its cross-sectional volume;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a thread formed of a bundle of fibers of the type
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 5 shows an inner panel of loosely woven knit material located
in the crotch area of the body wear garment as shown in FIG. 1, and
employing threads of the type shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 shows a pair of black tights, illustrating the principles of
the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an outside view of the crotch area of the tights shown in
FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an inside view showing a crotch panel of open knit
material, located on the inside of the tights of FIG. 7; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 10--10 of FIG.
9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it shows a
typical women's body wear garment 12 worn by a model 14. To be
discussed hereinbelow is the new construction provided in the body
wear, including a special panel in the crotch area of the body wear
garment.
The special panel, as mentioned hereinabove, is formed of a loosely
knit material in which the basic fiber has an irregular outer
surface, preferably including longitudinally extending channels,
and has a corresponding high surface area. One fiber which may be
employed is the Dupont fiber sold under the trademark
"COOLMAX.TM.." FIGS. 2 and 3 show the configuration of the basic
COOLMAX fiber 16 with FIG. 2 being an isometric view of one end of
one of the fibers, and FIG. 3 being a cross-sectional view taken
along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2. The fiber has longitudinally extending
channels 18, 20, 22 and 24, and these "wicking" channels transport
liquid away from the body. The fiber is preferably made of
hydrophobic material having low moisture absorption, which prevents
clinging, and contributes to the lightweight "feel" characteristic
of fabrics made using this fiber.
FIG. 4 is an end view of a thread formed of a bundle of the fibers
of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The irregular packing of the
fibers creates added voids in the fiber bundle, allowing greater
moisture and vapor transport and breathability.
Instead of the cross-section as shown in FIG. 3, the fibers
employed in the implementation of the present invention could be
formed of other hydrophobic fibers having longitudinally extending
channels, for example a generally circular fiber with a series of
deep channels cut into its periphery, or a fiber having a
cross-section similar to that of FIG. 3, but with another one or
two bumps or lobes extending from the central area of the fiber, or
from either or both of the two side lobes thereof.
FIG. 5 is a view showing the inside of the crotch area in the
garment 12 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 5, the garment 12 appears at the
upper and lower ends of the figure, and a special loosely knit
panel 32 is seamed into the garment 12, along the line 34, and at
the two sides 36 and 38 of the garment. The rear edge 40 of the
knit insert is seamed to prevent unravelling of the knit fabric,
but is not secured to the outer material 12 of the garment.
The knit panel 32 is formed of an open knit fabric, which may be
formed using threads as shown in FIG. 4, made with fibers of the
type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Accordingly, the panel 32 is a loose
knit fabric with an open configuration, using hydrophobic fibers
having an irregular outer surface, preferably including
longitudinally extending channels, with the fibers therefore having
a high surface area relative to the cross-sectional volume of the
fiber.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along lines 6--6
of FIG. 5. As indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the loosely knit panel 32
is seamed into the garment material along the seam 34 toward the
front of the garment, and at the two side edges 36, 38 of the
garment. The rear edge of the panel 32 is provided with a seam 40,
as indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6, to prevent unravelling of the rear
edge thereof, but is not secured to the garment 12. It is made of
tightly woven or tightly knit, relatively thin material but
includes resilient and stretchable fibers, so that the garment will
stretch. As contrasted with the thinner, stretchable material 12,
the panel 32 is looser, porous, and several times thicker, or at
least twice as thick as the thinner material 12.
Now, a different body wear garment, black tights, are shown in
FIGS. 7 through 10 of the drawings. FIG. 7 shows an overall view of
the tights 52 having an elastic waistband 54, and feet 56. The
overall material of the black tights is a relatively thin, closely
woven or tightly knit, thin material and is preferably stretchable.
A typical fabric which may be used includes 64% cotton, 29% nylon,
and 7% LYCRA.TM..
FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show the crotch area of the tights shown in FIG.
7. More specifically, FIG. 8 shows the loosely knit panel 58 which
is sewn and fully seamed into the crotch area of the black tights
52. The panel 58 is substantially diamond-shaped and is seamed to
the, adjacent material of the tights along the two seams 60, 62.
FIG. 9 shows the outside of the tights in the crotch area, and
shows a similar panel 64 which is coextensive with the inner panel
58, but is of the same color, black, as the remainder of the tights
material 52. The panel 64 may be formed of loosely knit absorbent
material, such as cotton. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 is
taken along lines 10--10 of FIG. 8.
Using the configuration of FIGS. 7 through 10, moisture is "wicked"
away from the body of the wearer, and transmitted to the absorbent
panel 64 which is exposed to the air so that moisture absorbed
there may be readily dried by exposure to the air. The result is a
drier and more comfortable feeling for the wearer, with the drier
conditions tending toward inhibiting potentially undesirable yeast
growth or other possible infections.
In conclusion, it is to be understood that the foregoing detailed
description and the accompanying drawings relate to preferred
embodiments of the present invention. Various changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Thus, by way of example and not of
limitation, the present invention is applicable to all types of
women's body wear, including bathing suits, tights, pantyhose,
leotards, and the like. Further, instead of using COOLMAX.TM.,
other hydrophobic fibers having large surface areas could be
employed, preferably those with longitudinal channels included in
their structure. In addition, instead of using knit panels, other
panels formed of this type of fiber and having a relatively open
weave may be employed. Accordingly, the present invention is not
limited precisely to the materials and structures described in
detail hereinabove and shown in the accompanying drawings.
* * * * *